Climate Care is Healthcare with Dr. Reed Omary

A Conversation with Reed Omary, MD

Reed Omary, MD
Twitter: @ReedOmary

Carol D. & Henry P. Pendergrass Professor and Chair of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Director MIDP at Vanderbilt Medical School

The founder and director of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Medical Innovators Development Program, Dr. Omary has crafted a one-of-a-kind culture of empathy-centered innovation within the program. An interdisciplinary leader, he also plays key roles in Vanderbilt’s radiology department and VUMC’s strategic planning efforts. For MIDP, Dr. Omary’s vision brings the strengths of patient-centered care to student-centered medical education. An avid public speaker, podcaster, and doodler, Dr. Omary contributes artistic flair and right-brain strengths to the work he does with med students on a daily basis.

Episode Takeaways

1. The planet doesn’t need people – people need the planet. Sustainability is a business priority that goes hand-in-hand with public health and policy urgencies.
2. Nashville is more than “Music City,” it is at the heart of ideas and approaches that impact national and global health. Dr. Omary explains why Vanderbilt University Medical Center is at the vanguard of environmental health.
3. Engineering and medical innovation go hand-in-hand and Dr. Omary – both an engineer and physician – outlines how this perspective expands medicine’s great potential to innovate and heal.
4. Climate care is healthcare—Dr. Omary shares why the pollution impacts the $1.2 trillion in related health costs. Hear why physicians must enter and planetary climate crisis conversation.
5. COVID has opened up the willingness to invite us all to recognize that we are connected – virtual medicine and digital health can impact climate health favorably. Telehealth is part of patient care and affects carbon emissions.